Fractional Weld Sizes

[jtylerbc]

Inventor has the ability to link weld symbols to fillet welds modeled in the weldment assembly.  This could be a huge help to my company, dramatically reducing the number of mistakes in our weld callouts, or weld callouts missed entirely.  Unfortunately, in its current state, we can't use the feature.

This is because the system is based around displaying as decimals, while most fabricators prefer to see fractional weld sizes.  As a result, we are forced to manually enter our weld symbols on the drawing just like we would have done in AutoCAD.

Having one item (weld symbols) be so manual while so much other annotation is automatic tends to lead to errors.  Users just simply forget to go fix the weld symbols, because everything else is so automatic, and it doesn't feel like the weld symbol tool should be any different.  In my search for a solution to this problem, I saw requests going back to at least 2005 for this feature - I think it's time to close this gap.

I think the easiest way to handle this would be a unit format option in the Weld Symbol style.  That way, if needed, users could set up fractional and decimal styles just as they would with dimensions.  To avoid messing up the workflow of anyone using the symbols as they currently are, the default setting could still be Decimal. 

[mikeh7]

Agree 110%, we don't use the auto symbol in the IDW because of the decimal fomatting.

Totally related is if the weld symbol isn't created in the weld feature dialog box when the weld is created you can't go back and add the symbol.  We need the ability to do this.

[mikeh7]

The Weld Symbol creation in the Weldement should be associated to the weld bead feature.  Kind of silly to have to enter weld size on the feature and then in the same dialog box re-key it all it again.  Granted we still need an override of the symbol because we can't always model the size of the weld because the leg length can't be achieved by the geometry of the part due to a radius or curve of the part.  This override should be highlighted.

Ideally the symbol dialog would remain in the weld feature dialog just like when we create it.

[karthur1]

ABSOLUTELY!!!!  We would also prefer to have the welds called out as fractional format.  But since not everyone will probably want it that way, the option needs to be there to format it however we want either fractional or decimal.

[BK-MTFNE]

I don't think developers are fully understanding this issue and how critical it actually is. Our fabricators, like most fabricators, want dimensions in fraction format. That is the broad version of the problem, however when you look more into it you can start to see the critical aspect of things. I model my welds into my assemblies as those welds are needed for our FEA analysis. After the analysis is done and everything is approved those welds have to be accurate to the analysis for liability concerns. If we have to then go and manually edit or place all weld symbols we are opening ourselves to human error and potential liabilities if a mistake is made. The whole purpose of this type of automation is to eliminate the human error factor and make things easier.

Its absolutely absurd that post on the forums go back to 2005 asking for this and its still not fixed especially since AWS guidlines are all shown in fractional form.

[karthur1]

@BK-MTFNE I agree with what you say 100%.  Makes no sense we are asking for such a thing as to display this in a proper format..